Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Power Tools). This thread is read-only.
I think we all have a tool/s that you hate lending or would never lend.
For me its my chainsaws I would never lend them out to anyone, another would be my tape measure, OK I know its just a tape measure but for some reason I hate lending it to people. Last time I gave my fatmax to a friend it didn’t come back.
I am selective who I would lend to. The list is short.
Anything I have that says Festool on it never leaves the shop. Bring it over and I will do something for you with it but dont ask to borrow 🙂
rrmccabe wrote:
3 minutes ago, rrmccabe said:I am selective who I would lend to. The list is short.
Anything I have that says Festool on it never leaves the shop. Bring it over and I will do something for you with it but dont ask to borrow 🙂
Iv an old makita drill that somehow still has a beat I keep that around so when anyone ask for a drill they get the makita.
until the government issues a NO tool buying band, and probably not even then… none of my tools get lent out to anyone. When I needed something I marched my ass down to HD and bought it they can too…….plain and simple……call me a prick call me a grumpy old man I don’t care and another thing keep your hands clapping at all times in my shop!
My brothers favorite comment: Don’t clap, just throw money…
I don’t lend tools to anyone but my dad and brother. They are the only ones I trust to take care of them just as well as I do and if they break them they have the funds to replace them.
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I’m selective as to who I lend to. I’ll come over and help you or you can bring it to me and I’ll do it for you, but some tools I just don’t like to loan out.
In a lot of cases it’s not a lack of trust, it’s just doubt that they have the ability to use/care for the tool to my standards.
i have a very short list of people i’d lend tools to.
All of them! My RIDGID kit I won is my loaner kit well what I have left of it, gave a few tools to my dad, nobody touches my good hand tools!
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I literally keep a bin of pliers, a rack of screwdrivers, a HF drill and an extra DMM so I don’t let anyone borrow my good tools…well the extra DMM is a Fluke but I got it cheap and no one at the shop would blow it up.
My boss is nice enough to lend tools out. I don’t see why I can’t do the same. I don’t know if many will ask to use my tools or not.
I don’t own any tools 😉
I’ll bite. I hate letting people borrow circular saws because the base plate/shoe can be damaged by someone who tosses it around or set the wrong materials on it.
Miter saws. I cringe thinking about people cutting improper materials on my expensive saw blades.
Last time I gave my 780 to a friend, I gave it to him without the blade, he asked where it was and I pointed south and said “Home Depot”.
Nobody has asked to use my Planer but probably the same story there.
comp56 wrote:
23 hours ago, comp56 said:until the government issues a NO tool buying band, and probably not even then… none of my tools get lent out to anyone. When I needed something I marched my ass down to HD and bought it they can too…….plain and simple……call me a prick call me a grumpy old man I don’t care and another thing keep your hands clapping at all times in my shop!
This is the correct answer.
I would lend anything to one friend, however he has more tools than me !!!!!!
nobody else, like @comp56 said, I bought …… so can you
comp56 wrote:
On 3/6/2017 at 5:39 PM, comp56 said:When I needed something I marched my ass down to HD and bought it they can too…….plain and simple
Foneguy wrote:
5 hours ago, Foneguy said:I bought …… so can you
lets say I have a $20,000 wide belt sander and my neighbor needs to use the wide belt. For whatever reason no other tool will do the task the neighbor needs to complete except the wide belt. Lets also say I follow the “I bought it so can you principle”.
My neighbor asks me, “can I borrow your wide belt sander?”
I say, “No you can’t use my wide belt sander. You will have to buy your own.”
To an extent this could work with cheaper tools like a cordless drill, but I don’t see it working with more expensive tools like a wide belt. It’s not like the neighbor is gonna have the resources or the need to scrap together $20,000 for a wide belt to complete one task.
I would obviously teach the neighbor how to use the sander or whatever expensive tool that the neighbor is needing and be around when it’s in use just incase something would go wrong. Not letting them use the tool just doesn’t seem right to me. Thats just my 2 cents.
like I said before, call me a prick or a grumpy old man whatever you want, I look at it this way did your neighbor take on such a project that he would need a $20,000 tool to complete knowing you have one or was it shear coincidence that you have one and he ended up needing one? Take away the tool value. I worked in an industry that the tradesman were paid a premium but they also had to come to work with their own tools, it was highly frowned upon to ask to use someone else’s tools regardless of what it was or why it was. No different than asking someone to use their favorite fishing rod well all my tools are my favorite…..same with money and friends, I’d rather give you 20 bucks if you needed it so I know I’m not getting it back than to give you 20 bucks and never see it but expect it…..so ya I don’t lend money either…….I’m a nice guy I will sit down any time and chit chat about anything over a coffee in my shop as long as you bring the coffee…..
Only a few people I let borrow tools . Usually they get returned to me dirty it makes me not want to lend but finally I had enough so I told him don’t get it so fucking dirty , respect other peoples things. I would have to be with comp I have put a shit load of work into getting tools and fixing them so I don’t lend out very often .
I don’t lend tools. Period.
ChrisK wrote:
28 minutes ago, ChrisK said:I don’t lend tools. Period.
amen brother….
I would have to agree with comp….no tool lending. Either buy it, rent it or hire someone to do it.
Almost as bad as Comp56, but have had (all dead now) a couple of friends I would loan anything to. I also have some less than top notch tools I will lend to some people. If they want more than that, they have to buy their own. Used to have a more generous policy, but after having some tools not returned or returned damaged and/or dirty, I reconsidered in self defense.
Jronman wrote:
9 hours ago, Jronman said:
lets say I have a $20,000 wide belt sander and my neighbor needs to use the wide belt. For whatever reason no other tool will do the task the neighbor needs to complete except the wide belt. Lets also say I follow the “I bought it so can you principle”.
My neighbor asks me, “can I borrow your wide belt sander?”
I say, “No you can’t use my wide belt sander. You will have to buy your own.”
To an extent this could work with cheaper tools like a cordless drill, but I don’t see it working with more expensive tools like a wide belt. It’s not like the neighbor is gonna have the resources or the need to scrap together $20,000 for a wide belt to complete one task.
I would obviously teach the neighbor how to use the sander or whatever expensive tool that the neighbor is needing and be around when it’s in use just incase something would go wrong. Not letting them use the tool just doesn’t seem right to me. Thats just my 2 cents.
Could he not rent it from somewhere? Barring that, if it absolutely HAD to be my tool that is used, I would rather go over and do that task for him than just send the tool along. Chances are if he was my neighbour, I’ve already offered my help anyway.
don’t get me wrong I wasn’t always like that, I have lost a jigsaw, router and a small arc welder over the years, I tracked down the router and the welder after some time but never seen the jigsaw again. funny how people can easily come by to pick stuff up but it is the life of them to being it back almost 100% of the time I HAD to go get my tools because they are to busy……so ya that is just one reason I don’t lend tools and I don’t care if it is a $2 screwdriver
one time my neighbor and I were outside chatting while taking the garbage out, he says hey you have a planer right?, I said yes I do…he says how do you like it?…I say it works great but with only certain type of wood going through it …he say oh what kind…….I said Mine! just in case he was thinking of asking to use it…..
I haven’t figured out a way to politely tell people I don’t lend my tools.
I come off sounding like a jerk every time. I usually say something like ” I invested quite a bit into these tools for me to earn a living, not you”
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comp56 wrote:
1 hour ago, comp56 said:don’t get me wrong I wasn’t always like that, I have lost a jigsaw, router and a small arc welder over the years, I tracked down the router and the welder after some time but never seen the jigsaw again. funny how people can easily come by to pick stuff up but it is the life of them to being it back almost 100% of the time I HAD to go get my tools because they are to busy……so ya that is just one reason I don’t lend tools and I don’t care if it is a $2 screwdriver
AMEN TO THAT BROTHA!!
Jronman wrote:
13 hours ago, Jronman said:
lets say I have a $20,000 wide belt sander and my neighbor needs to use the wide belt. For whatever reason no other tool will do the task the neighbor needs to complete except the wide belt. Lets also say I follow the “I bought it so can you principle”.
My neighbor asks me, “can I borrow your wide belt sander?”
I say, “No you can’t use my wide belt sander. You will have to buy your own.”
To an extent this could work with cheaper tools like a cordless drill, but I don’t see it working with more expensive tools like a wide belt. It’s not like the neighbor is gonna have the resources or the need to scrap together $20,000 for a wide belt to complete one task.
I would obviously teach the neighbor how to use the sander or whatever expensive tool that the neighbor is needing and be around when it’s in use just incase something would go wrong. Not letting them use the tool just doesn’t seem right to me. Thats just my 2 cents.
thats like asking someone if you they can borrow your car without insurance, except they’re more likely to hurt themselves with your tool than a car. If they’re asking you to borrow your 20k tool or whatever tool they need for their renovation or whatever project they maybe working on they’re just trying to save a buck or using you, its a very precise way of thinking but I don’t “Lend any of my stuff out because someone can hurt themselves with whatever it is you lent them and guess what if you chose the wrong person to lend to, you could end up paying medical bills. I let big corporations with liability protection lend tools out ever since ive been burned. Now if someone needs a tool, I’ll just go do whatever it is they want done unless they want to borrow 5ton to change their brakes or tires then fuck that, I don’t have one.
I’ve never flat out told someone they couldn’t borrow a tool. I do it on a case by case basis. I have a couple of friends that could come borrow anything I’ve got. I know they have the skills to properly use them. They know how I treat my tools and they have enough respect for me to treat them the same.
Some tools simply aren’t worth damaging a friendship over. I’m not going to tell someone I like and respect they can’t borrow a $100 or $200 tool. I’ll take my chances that they have enough mutual respect for me to care for the tool and return it, and if they don’t, $200 isn’t going to break me.
However, if a guy I know doesn’t know jack shit about tools calls and wants my miter saw, table saw, planer, etc, I’m going to offer to go over and help him or have him bring it to me. I’ll make excuses or whatever I have to do to ensure he gets the job done without actually borrowing the tool.
But, there are some people I’m just not lending shit too. I’ll start out offering to help, etc, but if it comes down to it, I’ll just say no. There’s one guy in particular that comes by 3 or 4 times a year wanting to borrow shit. Married into my family, so I had to put up with a little more. I don’t particularly like him, I don’t trust him with my tools. He started out looking for odd size 3/4″ drive sockets and little shit that not everyone should have and wouldn’t make sense to buy for one use. Fair enough I guess. Then he started asking for an angle grinder. I had an old Dewalt I wasn’t particularly concerned with so I let him use it. He’d keep it a week or two, bring it back, then come get it again, and again. Borrowed it at least 6 times. I finally told him there was a difference in not having an odd ball tool and just being a cheap ass. He’s stop and borrow basic shit constantly, shit every self respecting man should own. Fucker borrowed a circular saw! Doesn’t own a saw….any saw! What kind of panty wearing excuse for a man doesn’t own a saw of any kind?
I put put up with it for awhile just to keep the peace, but when he stopped and wanted my welder and plasma cutter I just had to draw the line. I explained to him that I knew he didn’t know jack shit about welding and cutting, I knew he didn’t have 220V anywhere outside, and I knew he didn’t have any way to deliver dry air to the plasma, unless of course he borrowed my dryer. He wasn’t too upset about the plasma cutter, but kept on about the welder. He was planning on running it off his generator and admitted that he had only a very basic idea of how to weld and wanted to use mine to practice and see if he wanted to invest in one ?
I told old him that if he wanted to come out to the house I’d be glad to give him a crash course, but he wasn’t taking it home with him.
That was last summer and I haven’t heard from him since.
I don’t mine people borrowing my tools, just so long as they stay within 20′ of me and are never outta my sight. But seriously my wife doesn’t even touch my tool(s) (pun intended), I bought her her own for around the house. I remember my old man went through 10 hammer’s one year because my brother’s and I(4 of us) were dip shits and ever since then it stuck with me to be respectful for others tools and they should respect mine.
HiltiWpg wrote:
6 hours ago, HiltiWpg said:I haven’t figured out a way to politely tell people I don’t lend my tools.
I come off sounding like a jerk every time. I usually say something like ” I invested quite a bit into these tools for me to earn a living, not you”
If I judge someone to be worthy of assistance, when they ask to borrow a tool I will state that I only loan tools if I am attached to them. Otherwise, I do not consider it impolite to simply state that my tools are not available for loan.
Appears is tool dudes are slightly possessive of our stuff 🙂
In today’s world, if you own a tool and someone else injures themselves using it, can you be held liable for that injury? You can’t fix stupid, and you also can’t avoid litigation when stupid decides that you should have done the work for them so that they wouldn’t have been hurt by your tool. Yes, this is an extreme example, but it is entirely possible that someone might go this far if they think you have an insurance policy that they could access like a lottery ticket, even if it was their own stupidity that was the cause of the problem. Even if you win in a situation like this, you lose monetarily. I prefer not to let Murphy gain an edge on me by loaning tools to someone who may or may not know how to use them, take care of them, or return them immediately after use after having cleaned them or refilled the gas tank to the same level as when they borrowed it. Having to chase a tool down when I need it because someone decided that it was okay to hang on to it because it wasn’t important enough of an item to return to it’s rightful owner and that the owner might have forgotten who borrowed it and never come looking for it, is not high on my list of things to do today. Having to run to the gas station and fill a tank before returning home to use a tool after getting it back or having to chase it down in the first place is even lower on that list.
There is only one person that I will currently loan tools to without reservation and that person does not like to borrow them, unless it is an emergency. It is a matter of trust, and that has been stretched pretty thin in my case over the last couple of decades.
comp56 wrote:
7 hours ago, comp56 said:one time my neighbor and I were outside chatting while taking the garbage out, he says hey you have a planer right?, I said yes I do…he says how do you like it?…I say it works great but with only certain type of wood going through it …he say oh what kind…….I said Mine! just in case he was thinking of asking to use it…..
Fucking savage.
CATERPILLAR wrote:
Only a few people I let borrow tools . Usually they get returned to me dirty it makes me not want to lend but finally I had enough so I told him don’t get it so fucking dirty , respect other peoples things. I would have to be with comp I have put a shit load of work into getting tools and fixing them so I don’t lend out very often .
All of my tools are dirty. I don’t have a homeowner collection lol
Honestly, most of my tools I use regularly and can’t afford to let people use.
picture it….. summer 1989, I think it was july 17th maybe might have been the 18th maybe, anyway sun was out temps were in the mid 80’s and I decided to not lend out tools from here on. I slept better I didn’t worry about my tools any more it was a win win….no more well ya let him why not me? questions nothing….it didn’t take long for anyone that knows me to not even bother to ask……
I borrowed a Silverado truck from a friend of mine about 8 years ago.
I never did give it back. He keeps the license up and tags.
Its getting rusty in the rockers now. I need to talk to him about trading it in.
Its a great tool 🙂
JMG wrote:
2 hours ago, JMG said:In today’s world, if you own a tool and someone else injures themselves using it, can you be held liable for that injury? You can’t fix stupid, and you also can’t avoid litigation when stupid decides that you should have done the work for them so that they wouldn’t have been hurt by your tool. Yes, this is an extreme example, but it is entirely possible that someone might go this far if they think you have an insurance policy that they could access like a lottery ticket, even if it was their own stupidity that was the cause of the problem. Even if you win in a situation like this, you lose monetarily. I prefer not to let Murphy gain an edge on me by loaning tools to someone who may or may not know how to use them, take care of them, or return them immediately after use after having cleaned them or refilled the gas tank to the same level as when they borrowed it. Having to chase a tool down when I need it because someone decided that it was okay to hang on to it because it wasn’t important enough of an item to return to it’s rightful owner and that the owner might have forgotten who borrowed it and never come looking for it, is not high on my list of things to do today. Having to run to the gas station and fill a tank before returning home to use a tool after getting it back or having to chase it down in the first place is even lower on that list.
There is only one person that I will currently loan tools to without reservation and that person does not like to borrow them, unless it is an emergency. It is a matter of trust, and that has been stretched pretty thin in my case over the last couple of decades.
Agree Iv been using chainsaws since my teenage years but my uncle trained me on them his a forester for 44 years, He always says ‘any Tom,Dick or harry can run a chainsaw’ If I was to lend out my saws to anyone and they get injured it will come back and bite you right on the dickaroo.
Hugh Jass wrote:
On 2017-03-07 at 1:41 PM, Hugh Jass said:Last time I gave my 780 to a friend, I gave it to him without the blade, he asked where it was and I pointed south and said “Home Depot”.
Damn! That’s awesome and I’m likely going to use that line at some point.
Personally I can count on one hand the amount of people I’d lend tools to, and odds are I’m coming along with it. Not even sure what I’d lend out. Maybe a hammer. Impact driver. Not much else.
Cr8ondt wrote:
18 hours ago, Cr8ondt said:I don’t mine people borrowing my tools, just so long as they stay within 20′ of me and are never outta my sight. But seriously my wife doesn’t even touch my tool(s) (pun intended), I bought her her own for around the house. I remember my old man went through 10 hammer’s one year because my brother’s and I(4 of us) were dip shits and ever since then it stuck with me to be respectful for others tools and they should respect mine.
use the tool like it is somebody else’s tool?
BababooeyHTJ wrote:
17 hours ago, BababooeyHTJ said:
All of my tools are dirty. I don’t have a homeowner collection lol
Honestly, most of my tools I use regularly and can’t afford to let people use.
I think I clean mine too much haha.
Jronman wrote:
11 minutes ago, Jronman said:use the tool like it is somebody else’s tool.
In the rare case that I have to borrow someone else’s tool, I freaking treat it like it’s made of gold, I don’t care if it’s a $3 HF tool. I will clean it if it gets dirty, try not to scratch it, etc…I don’t know why everyone can’t respect someone else’s property.
BMack37 wrote:
1 hour ago, BMack37 said:
In the rare case that I have to borrow someone else’s tool, I freaking treat it like it’s made of gold, I don’t care if it’s a $3 HF tool. I will clean it if it gets dirty, try not to scratch it, etc…I don’t know why everyone can’t respect someone else’s property.
Yes I do the exact same return it in better condition then u got it in . For an example my next door neighbor has a small Kubota and when her son in law uses it and brings it back its low on diesel and he beats the hell out of it and its dirty… One thing what a fucking jackass bring it back clean , full tank maybe top off oil if low . seriously its not that hard
Since Night Supervisor! I tend to watch the job ur preforming with my tools. Winter time forget it. Iron workers forget it. Bandsaw off limits! Maybe 2 ppl I trust, but normally they never ask. Pouring floors of concrete don’t ask.